They Waited 11 Months for a Short Sale... Then Got the Worst Phone Call of Their Lives

In Episode 11 of The Fitze Is Right, Maryland realtor Jen Fitze reads and reacts to one of the most painful viewer stories the podcast has ever received — an 11-month short sale nightmare that ended in total devastation.A couple found their dream home — a four-bedroom colonial listed at $285,000 in a neighborhood where everything else was selling for $360,000 or more. Their agent told them it was a short sale and that the process would take "a couple extra months." It didn't.They submitted their offer in March. Sixty days passed. Ninety days. Nothing. Their agent kept saying the bank was reviewing it. Meanwhile, they were living month-to-month in a tiny apartment with two kids. Their landlord raised the rent twice. They were paying an extra $400 a month just waiting.By month five, their agent was harder to reach. By month seven, they discovered she had never done a short sale before — she was Googling the process while they were living through it. Then the bank assigned a new negotiator and the entire review started over from scratch.At month nine, they finally got a verbal approval. Their agent called screaming. They cried. They told their kids they'd have their own rooms. They gave their landlord 30 days notice. They started packing. They picked out paint colors.Two weeks later, the bank changed the terms. They wanted $15,000 more. The couple didn't have it. Their agent told them to pay it because they'd already waited so long. They borrowed $8,000 from family and scraped together the rest.Then came the final blow. The seller had filed for bankruptcy during the process. The sale was frozen by the court. Indefinitely. Their agent didn't even know — she found out when the buyers told her.After 11 months, thousands in extra rent, borrowed money from family, and their entire lives on hold — the deal was dead. They eventually bought a different house seven months later with a different agent. It cost them $80,000 more.Jen breaks down everything that went wrong, what a short sale actually is, why the timeline is 6-18 months not "a couple extra months," the sunk cost trap of "you've waited this long," and how to spot an agent who's Googling your transaction instead of managing it.In this episode you'll learn:→ What a short sale actually is and why they take 6-18 months→ Why "a couple extra months" is the most dangerous thing an agent can say→ The bankruptcy loophole that lets sellers stay in homes for years without paying→ Why verbal approval from the bank means nothing→ The sunk cost trap and why "you've waited this long" is terrible advice→ How to spot an agent who's never done a short sale before→ Whether short sales are ever worth it in today's marketNew episodes weekly. Follow Jen Fitze on social media for daily real estate tips.Thanks for listening to The Fitze Is Right with Jen Fitze... the real estate podcast that tells you what your agent won't.New episodes drop every other week. If this episode helped you or made your jaw drop, leave a 5-star review; it's the single best way to help new listeners find the show.Got a real estate horror story of your own? We want to hear it. Send your story to @jenniferfitzecompassrealestate and Jen might read and react to it live on a future episode.CONNECT WITH JEN: All socials @jenniferfitzecompassrealestateWORK WITH JEN: Buying or selling a home in Maryland? Jen has over 20 years of experience helping families in Harford County, Baltimore County, and beyond. Reach out at [email protected]